Vulcanizer.



F. S. WAHL.

VULCANIZEIL. APPLICATION FILED A'UG.1I. 1915.

1 Patented Oct. 17,1916.

- STATES rrrrnrrr OFFICE.

FRANK S. WAHL, OF NORTH 'IONAWANDA, YORK, ASSIGNOR'OF ONE-HALF TO GUY G. 'MATTERN, OF KENMORE, NEW. YORK.

VULCANIZER.

, Applicationfil'ed August17,1 915. Serial No. 45,893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK S. WAHIL, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vulcanizers, of

Y which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to an improved vulcanizer in which an ordinary electric flat iron or similar heater may be utilized as the means for supplying the necessary heat.

The object ofthis invention is to provide an eflicient vulcanizer which will not necessitate a special heat generator but will enable one to more fully utilize such a device as an electric flat iron; which can be readily and conveniently .placed in operative posi tion without requiring special skill; in which the working temperature can be read:

ily and constantly determined and which can be easily adapted to varying work without liability of losing some of the parts.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the vulcanizer showing the same arranged for vulcanizing the shoe of an automobile tire.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

1 represents the body of a domestic, electric fiat iron, which is particularly adapted for vulcanizing purposes and which is usually provided with a flat underside, a straight, transverse rear edge, a rounded and pointed front end 2 and a loop-shaped handle 3 on the upper side of the body.

4 represents a heating body made of any suitable material having a high thermal conductivity, such as an aluminum alloy and which has a flat upper surface 26 adapted tobe engaged by the flat underside of the flat iron and a concave underside 27 adapted to engage the repair patch 17 or the like on-v the inner tube 28 or shoe 11 of the 'tire.

The flat iron may be detachably secured Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 001;. 17, 1916.

to the heating body 4 in any suitable way but the means for this purpose which are.

shown in the drawings are preferred and, as there shown the same comprise a forward transverse tie 5 permanently attached to the heatlng body at its opposite ends by means ofthe screws 6, and a transverse rear tie 7 permanently attached at one end to one side of the heating body but detachably connected at its opposite end with the opposite slde of the heating body by means of an eye .8 arranged on the free end of the tie7 and engaging with a hook 9 secured to the respective side of the heating body. These tles are preferably constructed in the form of springs which in their operative position are stretched somewhat so that they exert a yielding pressure against the flat iron and hold the same firmly against the heating body and still allow a variation in the shape and size of theflat iron. Secured to the rear end of the heating body and projecting above its upper surface are stop washers 10 adapted to be engaged by the rear end of the flat iron so as to limit its rearward movement while being drawn rearwardly by the elastic tie 7. In use, the rounded nose 2 of the flat iron is shoved under the'forward tie spring 5, and the rear tie spring 7 is then passed. between the body and the handle,

of the flat iron and engaged'with the hook 9. By making the lower side of the heating body concave in cross section the sa me conforms approximately tothe shape of the .tread of the 'shoe 11 of an automobile tire.

At the forward end of the heating body, its upper surface is reduced or cut away, as

'shown at 16 to lessen the weight and to inoreasethe heat intensity directly over the patch 17. To permit of determining the temperature at any time and enable the vulcanizer to be most eflioiently regulated a thermometer 20 is mounted on a suitable part of the vulcanizer preferably by providing a pair of holes 18 which are formed diagonally in the vertical shoulders 19which are adjacent to the inner end of. the reduced portion 16 and one or the other of whichis adaptedto receive the thermometer 20. The latter is inserted in the mostconvenient hole after the vulcanizer has been secured in operative position, the mercury bulb of the thermometer being brought into proximity v with that portion of the heating body which is directly over the patch which is being vulcanize The heating body is provided wtih four transverse lugs 12 projecting laterally therefrom, said lugs being provided with holes drilled vertically near their outer ends, in which are loosely hung four thumb screws 29, 30. These thumb screws are arranged in two pairs, the members of each pair being arranged transversely in line and one member of each pair being provided at its lower end with an eye 13 and the other with a hook 25. To each-eye 13 is permanently attached a chain 14, the latter being attached at its opposite end to the eye of a pin 15. When the vulcanizer is employed for securing a patch on an inner tube or similar article the latter is supported on the side opposite to that on which the same is engaged by the heating body which support is preferably constructed as follows:

21, 31 represent two sections of a face block made preferably of a substantially non-heat conducting material such as wood, and having a convex upper side corresponding to the lower side of the heating body and adapted to engage the lower side of the inner tube or other article which is being repaired. The two sections of this block are of different length corresponding to different patch sizes and may be used singly or together, as shown. When a small patch is vulcanized on an article only the small face block section 21 is used, when a larger patch is to be vulcanized the large face block 31 is employed, and when a stilllarger patch is to be vulcanized the two face blocks are placed end to end lengthwise of the apparatus so as to provide the maximum support for the article which is being repaired. Arrangedbelow these face blocks is a table 22 provided with an upwardly projecting longitudinal tongue or rib 23 arranged centrally on the fiat upper side of said table, said tongue and upper surface being adapted to engage a corresponding groove 24 and the substantially. fiat underside of the face blocks 21. It will be seen that this construction readily permits of varying the areas of the inner tube to be pressed between the face block and the heating body.

In the use of this device, the face block is placed in the proper position on the table, the inner tube and patch are properly centralized over the face block, the heating body is placed over the patch, each of the pins 15 is passed through the eyes 13 of one of the thumb screws and the hook 25 of the companion thumb screw, the wing nuts 34 of said thumb screws being tightened, so that they bear against the upper side of the lugs 12, the flat iron is fastened on to the heating body and then the current is turned on. To facilitate the passage of said pins beneath accuse? 14 are passed around and under the wheel and a link of each chain engaged with the hook 25 of the corresponding thumb screw. It will be noted that the pins 15 are not used when vulcanizing a patch on an automobile tire shoe and at this time the same are suspended idly from their chains, as shown in Fig. 5, thereby avoiding the misplacing of the same. In this case the wing nuts are tightened or the tire inflated to a higher pressure to obtain the necessary vulcanizing contact. Thus it will be seen that the flat iron does not have to be'placed in engagement with the heating member until all the other light parts have been so placed that the patch is centralized properly and then clamped tightly together, thereby making convenient and accurate manipulation of my device possible. Using no liquids, my invention avoids the deterioration of rubber and fabric occurring when exposed to hydrocarbons or dampness, this action being more especially pronounced at the high temperatures necessary for strong cohesion.

The vulcanizer need not be horizontal or in any other certain position as is required by the common vulcanizers using liquid fuel, thereby rendering my apparatus more successful in the hands of inexperienced persons.

It will be apparent that my improved vulcanizing apparatus is very simple and strong, unlikely to get out of order and requiring but the simplest machine work so that it may be manufactured at low cost and permits of using an electric flat iron which is practically standardized ,and of such electrical resistance as to make it particularly suitable for use in this apparatus.

I claim as my invention:

1. A vulcanizer comprising a heating body adapted to be engaged with the article to be vulcanized, and means for detachably securing a heating element in contact with said body comprising a tie adapted to be connected at its opposite ends with opposite sides of said body and to pass intermediate of the ends over said heating element.

2. A vulcanizer comprising a heating body adapted to be engaged with the article to be vulcanized, and means for detachably securing a heating element in contact with said bodycomprising a flexible tie adapted to be connected at its opposite ends with opposite sides of said body and to pass intermediate of the ends over said heating element.

3. A vulcanizer comprising a heating body adapted to be engaged with the article to be vulcanized, and means for detachably securing a heating element in contact with said body comprising a tie adapted to pass over said heating element and havin one of its ends permanently connected wit the heating body and its opposite end detachably connected therewith.

4. A vulcanizer comprising a heating body adapted to be engaged with the article to be vulcanized, and means for detachably securing a heating element in contact with said body comprising a plurality of transverse ties which are adapted to pass over said heating element and one of which is permanently connected at its opposite ends with said body while another one is permanently connected at one end with said body and detachably connected therewith at its opposite end. 1

5. A vulcanizer comprising a heating body adapted to be engaged on one side with the article to be vulcanized and adapted to be engaged on its opposite side by a heating element, means for detachably securing said heating elementto said body,

and a stop' arranged on said body and. adapted to be engaged by one end of said heating element for limiting the longitudinal movement of the latter on said body.

6. A vulcanizer comprising a heating body adapted to be engaged with one side of the artlcle to be vulcanized, a supporting block adapted to engage with the opposite side of said article, a table on which said' block is detachably mounted, means for preventing lateral displacement of the table and block relatively to one another comprising a longitudinal rib arranged on one of said last mentioned members and. engaging with a longitudinal groove in the other member, and means fordrawing said table and body together. r

7. A vulcanizer comprlslng a heatmg body adapted to engage with one side of v the article to be vulcanized, a supporting block adapted to engage with the opposite side of said. article and having a plurality of sections which are arranged lengthwise end to end, a table on which said block sections are mounted, and means for drawing said body and table together.

8. A vulcanizer comprising a heating body adapted to engage with one side of the article to be vulcanized, a supporting block adapted to engage with the opposite side of said article and having a plurality of sections which are'arranged lengthwise end to end and which are of different lengths, a table on which said block sections are mounted, and means for drawing said a pin arranged transversely underneath the table and engaging said screws.

10. A vulcanizer comprising a heating body adapted'to engage with one side of the article to bevulcanized, a supporting block adapted to engage with the opposite side of said article, a table arranged below the block, and-means for drawing said body and table together comprising screws arranged-on opposite sides of the body and table and adjustably mounted on said body, one of said screws being provided at its opposite side with an eye and the other with a hook, a pin engaging with the underside of said table and passing through said eye and hook, and a flexible member connecting said pin with said eye.

FRANK s. WAHL. 

